According to the latest data from the Passenger Car Association, pickup truck sales in July 2026 reached 57,000 units, marking a 38% year-on-year increase and a 9% month-on-month decline, placing the figure at a five-year high for the month. Cumulative sales from January to July totaled 400,000 units, up 15.0% year-on-year.
Looking at market segmentation, a clear divergence has emerged between domestic and export markets. Export share continues to climb higher, while the domestic market maintains its pattern of one dominant player with several strong contenders. Great Wall Motor Company Limited (601633.SH) continues to hold its commanding leadership position in the pickup segment, with stable performance both at home and abroad. Boosted by sustained year-on-year export growth, SAIC Maxus, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile Group Corp., Ltd. (600418.SH), Zhengzhou Nissan, and Chongqing Changan Automobile Company Limited (000625.SZ) have all demonstrated strong results. In the domestic retail market, Great Wall Motor, Jiangling Motors, Zhengzhou Nissan, Radar Auto, and Jiangxi Isuzu have performed notably well.
Export Market Performance
In July 2026, national pickup exports reached 40,000 units, up 74% year-on-year and 5% month-on-month. For the January-to-July period, total pickup exports hit 228,000 units, a 40% increase year-on-year, with the industry's export share continuing to rise. Export share accounted for 45% of total pickup sales in 2024, 50% in 2025, and 55% cumulatively in 2026, with July alone reaching 71%. Chinese self-owned pickup brands are making solid progress in overseas markets.
New Energy Pickup Trends
Nationwide new energy pickup sales reached 21,200 units in 2024, up 170% year-on-year, followed by 73,000 units in 2025, a 243% surge. In July 2026, new energy pickup sales totaled 9,000 units, up 115% year-on-year but down 2% month-on-month. Cumulative sales for the first seven months of 2026 reached 54,000 units, up 18% year-on-year, indicating that new energy pickups are growing at a slightly slower pace than their fuel-powered counterparts overall. As electrification and passenger-vehicle-oriented development advance, the pickup market's growth potential continues to improve. Among July's new energy pickup sales, BYD sold 5,660 units overseas, Geely Radar sold 2,088 electric pickups, Zhengzhou Nissan sold 471 units, and Changan sold 555 range-extended pickups, with other pickup manufacturers also contributing meaningful volumes.
Overall Pickup Market Analysis
Historical monthly trends for 2025 showed continuous fluctuations in wholesale performance, with notable strength emerging toward year-end. Compared with earlier Spring Festival timing in prior years, the February-to-July period in 2025 benefited from the later holiday, while sales gradually declined from April to August and export volumes rebounded sharply in October and November. With minimal policy impact, January 2026 delivered strong growth, February saw a slight dip due to Spring Festival effects, March featured aggressive quarter-end push by manufacturers, April through June maintained robust growth, and July continued the strong trajectory.
July 2026 sales of 57,000 units represent a 38% year-on-year increase and a 9% month-on-month decrease, sitting at a five-year high for the month. Cumulative sales of 400,000 units for the first seven months reflect 20% growth. The pickup market remains broadly stable, with weakening domestic demand offset by strong export growth. Since the incremental volume for pickups comes from exports while light trucks gain from electrification, pickups continue to outperform light trucks in relative terms.
Export Strength Persists
July 2026 exports reached 40,000 units, maintaining the strong momentum seen in recent months. Export performance from 2024 through 2026 has been notably robust, with March-to-July figures this year particularly impressive compared with the previous two years. Cumulative exports for 2024 reached 244,000 units, growing 85%, followed by 300,000 units in 2025, up 21% year-on-year. The industry, led by Great Wall Motor, has achieved exceptional export results. July 2026 exports grew 74% year-on-year and 5% month-on-month, while January-to-July exports reached 228,000 units, up 40%, keeping the industry's export share at elevated levels. Export share climbed from 45% of total sales in 2024 to 50% in 2025, 55% cumulatively in 2026, and 71% in July alone. As an internationally oriented vehicle category, pickups have become the strongest segment in China's commercial vehicle export mix.
New Energy Pickup Development
Early-stage new energy pickups exhibited volatility similar to other new energy commercial vehicles due to subsidy characteristics. Following the surge in popularity of Tesla's pickup, new energy pickups are increasingly shifting toward consumer-oriented demand. BYD's overseas new energy pickup performance has been strong, while Geely Radar and others are driving private consumption. China's new energy pickup market is gradually gaining momentum, and with Tesla's pickup success, domestic new energy pickups are moving toward large-scale development. National sales reached 21,000 units in 2024, up 170%, 73,000 units in 2025, up 243%, 9,000 units in July 2026, up 115% year-on-year with a 2% month-on-month decline, and 54,000 units cumulatively through July 2026, up 18%, showing early-year growth slightly trailing that of fuel pickups overall.
Regional Sales Characteristics
The primary pickup markets are concentrated in the southwest and northwest regions, with the northwest currently showing particularly strong demand. Eastern developed areas are experiencing better market growth driven by new energy pickups. In July 2026, the southwest and northwest accounted for approximately 47% of total demand, establishing these as the two core markets, with the northwest's market scale notably larger this year.
Sales remain concentrated in smaller cities and county-level markets, though demand in major cities has improved with the introduction of electrified and passenger-oriented pickups. In July 2026, restricted-purchase markets like Shenzhen performed well, while county-level markets weakened recently. Fuel pickups have yet to achieve significant breakthroughs in major city markets, and small-city performance remained relatively subdued in July.
Competitive Landscape Analysis
Major pickup manufacturers continued their strong performance in 2026. Great Wall Motor maintains its overwhelming absolute advantage, while Chongqing Changan Automobile, BYD, SAIC Maxus, and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile showed strong July momentum. With the explosive growth of export markets, pickups from BYD, SAIC Maxus, Chongqing Changan Automobile, and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile have risen rapidly, with mid-tier companies squeezing out tail-end players. Traditional large conglomerates in the pickup segment remain highly competitive, particularly SAIC Maxus and Anhui Jianghuai Automobile with outstanding export performance. Great Wall Motor's pickups perform well both domestically and internationally, backed by strong new product vitality. Changan Kaicheng pickups are showing solid recovery, while newcomers Radar and Chery also post respectable results.
Domestic insurance data for 2026 continues to reflect the one-dominant-player, multiple-strong-contenders pattern, though signs of divergence are emerging. Great Wall Motor leads domestic pickup share at nearly 50% in July, with Jiangling Motors and Zhengzhou Nissan maintaining strong positions. Geely pickups surpassed Jiangxi Isuzu this month to enter the mainstream ranks, with electrification gradually intensifying competition in the domestic market. Many manufacturers show strong export performance, making the overall pickup market robust due to export pull, despite the stark contrast between domestic and overseas results.
Several manufacturers posted sharp month-on-month export increases in July. Great Wall Motor remains the cumulative export leader, while Chongqing Changan Automobile, Anhui Jianghuai Automobile, and BYD have demonstrated exceptional export strength. SAIC Maxus benefits from SAIC Group's strong export infrastructure and system, driving robust export growth.
Monthly Sales Performance by City
In July, the leading pickup cities included Shenzhen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Beijing, Urumqi, and Zhengzhou. With the launch of electric pickups, demand in eastern major cities like Shenzhen has been released strongly.
Regional Trends in July
With electrification upgrades accelerating product iteration, the pickup market has entered an adjustment phase over the past two years. Market tracking shows Great Wall Motor holds an absolute dominant position with nearly 50% domestic share, particularly prominent in the northwest and southwest regions. The combined share of the top four domestic players approaches 70%. Jiangling Motors performs strongly in East China and the Yangtze River basin, Zhengzhou Nissan excels in the northwest and central Yangtze regions, and Jiangxi Isuzu shows strength in the southwest and northeast. Recent acceleration of pickup electrification has boosted performance in South China, with significant contributions from Radar electric pickups and Changan plug-in hybrid pickups. As BYD pickups launch domestically, the new energy trend in the pickup market is expected to become even more pronounced.
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